1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to methods and systems for generating virtual reality simulations used to simulate consumer shopping experiences as well as to methods for conducting market research and consumer product design using virtual reality simulations.
2. Description of the Related Art
The manufacture, marketing, and sales of consumer products is highly competitive. Product manufacturers and retailers spend enormous sums of money developing and testing products, product packaging, product placement, and store design. The essential endeavor of this type of consumer research is to attempt to understand what influences a consumer's purchasing decision, i.e., to answer the question “why?” a consumer purchases one product over another. One common approach to understanding consumer decision making is to conduct market research using questionnaires and focus groups. However, this approach is expensive and frequently ineffective. People often have difficulty articulating (or even understanding at a conscious level) what may drive their purchasing decisions. Thus, this approach is often of limited benefit.
Another approach to conducting consumer research is to use virtual reality simulations. Virtual reality tools may be used to generate a virtual reality simulation representing some real world action, process, or event. The virtual reality simulation may be configured to provide a simulated environment in which a user may interact with the simulated environment in real time. For example, a simulation may provide a visual representation of a retail store where the user may move through the simulated environment and “shop” for products. That is, the user may interact with the virtual environment to make purchasing decisions based on the user's own internal preferences, as well as on the selection and arrangement of products, as depicted by the virtual environment.
The more realistically the virtual reality simulation recreates the real-world shopping environment, then the more the user's choices and actions in the virtual environment may mimic those that would occur within a real world store. Accordingly, a well-constructed virtual reality simulation may provide a useful tool for researching what aspects of the corresponding real-world environment may influence a consumer purchasing decision.